Pump-governing mechanism.



Patented Feb.v 5, |90I.

E. n. HILL. PUIP SOVERNING IEGHMHSI.

(Application Mod July 9, 1900.,

2 Sheets-Shut l.

(l. uml.)

Ano/mfr.

` No. 667,442. Patented Feb. 5, 190|.

E. n. HILL. Y

PUMP GUVERNING IECHANISH-` (Applcstion lod July 2, 1900.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST R. HILL, F WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

PUMP-GOVERNING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 667,442, dated February5, 1901. Application filed July 2, 1900. Serial No. 22,310. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it mai/concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST R. HILL, a citivzen of the United States,residing at Wilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented new and uscful Improvements in Pump-Governing Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electrically-driven air-pumps, and moreparticularly to electropneumatic systems in which a plurality ofelectrically driven pumps are operated in synchronism to feed smallreservoirs, the airpressure in which is maintained approximatelyconstant.

The object of my invention is to provide a means for automaticallystarting and stopping each of the electric motors employed for driving aplurality of air-pumps in an electropneumatic system, so that theair-pressure of the system shall never fall below a predeterminedminimum and never rise above a predetermined maximum.

Myinvention is primarily designed and intended for use in connectionwith a controlling system for railway-vehicles or trains of suchvehicles-such, for example, as that set forth in the patent granted toGeorge Westinghouse May 2, 1899, No. 624,277.

In electropneumatic systems of train control in which each of two ormore cars is provided with its own motors and electric controller orcontrollers it is desirable that each motor-car should also be providedwith its own air pump and reservoir in order that such cars may betransferred from one train to another without impairing the operation ofthe controlling system from or to which the transfer is made. Bysupplying each motorcar with a complete equipment of controlling devicesthe individual pumps and reservoirs may be of comparatively smallcapacity, provided the devices are so constructed and arranged that thepumps shall operate synchronously and that the reservoirs shall beinterconnected.

My invention is designed to meet the foregoing conditions and isillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a View,partially in side elevation and partially in section, of themotor-governing mechanism; and Fig. 2 is a View, mainly diagrammatic incharacter, of a system em` bodying three air-pumps, theiroperating-motors, and the associated mechanism.

The air-pumps 1 are indicated as of the rotary type and as directlydriven by electric motors 2, the air being pumped through pipes 3 intoreservoirs 4, provided with pressuregages 5, as is usual in suchapparatus. Pumps of any other suitable type may obviously be employed,if desired. The reservoirs 4 are shown as connected by lengths of pipe6, connected by suitable flexible hose and couplings 7 between cars inorder that all of the reservoirs may containv the same air-pressure, thepipes 6 being connected to the several reservoirs by branch pipes 8.

The system is illustrated as embodying airbrake mechanism, and for thispurpose pipes 9 lead from the reservoirs 4 to the engineers valves 10,and pipes 11 lead from the engineers valves to a train-pipe 12, providedwith the usual flexible hose and couplings 13 and connected by branchpipes 14 to brake-cylinders 15.

In order that the air-pressure in the cylinders 4 may be kept withincertain well-defined limits, I provide the means now to be described,the apparatus hereinbefore referred to being of a well-known typeheretofore employed in the art.

The power for operating each of the motors 2 is derived from the maincircuit, one of the brushes of the motor being connected to the groundby conductor 16 and the other brush being connected to thecurrent-collector (not shown) by means of conductors 17 and 18 and aswitch 19, the conductor 17 being connected to one stationary terminal20 and the conductor 18 to the other stationary terminal 21 of theswitch. The movable member 22 of the switch 19 is mounted upon a shaft23, having an arm 24, that projects through a slot 25 in the outer endof the rod 26, here shown as attached to a piston 27, that is locatedand movable in a cylinder 28.

Any other suitable device that is actuated by a spring or its equivalentto move the switch-arm in one direction and by fluid-pressure to movesaid arm in the other direction may obviously be employed in lieu of thepiston 27.

The stem 26 is surrounded bya coiled spring IOO 29, that bears at oneend against the piston and when free to act serves to close the switchand maintain it in its closed position, as indicated in Fig. 1.Fluid-pressure is supplied to the cylinder 28 in front of the piston 27from the reservoir 4 through a pipe 30, a branch pipe 31, a valve-casing32, and a passage The valve-chamber 32 is provided with a partition ordiaphragm 34, having an opening 35, that is closed by the valve 36. Thevalve-chamber also has a cap-piece 38, provided with an opening 39, thatis closed by the valve 36 when forced upward by a spring 37, thecylinder 28 exhausting through this opening and openings 40 into theatmosphere when the valve is depressed. The valve 36 is connected to thearmature 41a of an electromagnet 41, so that when the magnetis energizedit will move the valve downward against the action of the spring 37, andthus exhaust the cylinder 2S and permit the spring 29 to close theswitch 19. When the magnet is denergized, the port 35 is uncovered, andthe tluidpressu re is thus admitted to the cylinder 28 and serves tocompress the spring 29 and open the switch.

In order that the circuits of all of the motors 2 may be interruptedwhen the pressure in any one of the cylinders 4 reaches thepredetermined amount and in order that all of the motor-circuits may bemaintained closed until the pressure in each of the reservoirs reachesthe limit desired, I provide an auxiliary switch 42 for governing eachmagnet 41, the movable contact member of this switch being shown as adisk 43, of conducting material, mounted between two collars 44 on theend of a stem 45 of a piston 46, this piston being located in thecylinder 47. The stem 45 is surrounded by a coiled spring 48, one end ofwhich bears upon the piston and the other end of which bears against anadjustable plug 49, that constitutes a bearing-sleeve for the stem. Thestationary contact members 50, with which the disk 43 makes engagement,are provided with extension-pieces 51, separated from the portions byinsulating-pieces 52, these extensions being employed in order to retardthe disk 43 when the piston moves downward and at the same time insuresmoothness in the operation of the parts. The location of the disk 43loosely between the collars 44 provides a lost-motion construction, aswill be readily seen, whereby the separation of the switch-contacts whenthe piston moves upward and the bringing of them into engagement whenthe piston moves downward is delayed until the piston has practically orvery nearly completed its stroke. The stationary contact members of theswitch 42 are respectively connected by means of conductors 53 and 54 toconductors 55 and 56, the former of which extends throughout the trainand embodies suitable couplings 57 between the cars of the train.

Any other suitable device that is movable under the action ofduid-pressure may obviously be employed in lieu of the piston 46 forbreaking the circuit 53 54, if desired.

The conductor 55 is connected to one terminal of each of theelectromagnets 41 by means of a branch conductor 5S. The other terminalof each magnet 41 is connected, by means of a conductor 59, totrain-conductors 60, the various sections of which are connected betweencars by means of suitable couplings 57. Each car of the train or systemis preferably provided with a battery or other source of electricalenergy 61, the respective terminals of which are connected to conductors56 and 60.

With this construction and arrangement of the apparatus when thepressure in each of the reservoirs 4 is below that for which theapparatus is designed and adjusted each of the switches 42 is closed bythe action of spring 43, and consequently' each of the magnets 41 isenergized by current from the corresponding battery 61, whereby thepressure is exhausted from the cylinders 28 and the switches 19 areclosed by reason of the action of the springs 29. Then one or more ofthe pumps has operated a sufficient length of time to increase thereservoir-pressure, so as to eect the upward movement of the piston 46against the action of the spring 4S and the consequent breaking of thecircuit, including the electromagnets 41, pressure will be admitted tothe cylinders 2S and the pistons 27 will move upward and open theswitches 29.

By reason of the electrical and pneumatic connections between themotor-cars of a train and the governing-switches it follows that allpumps on the train will be started when the pressure in anyone reservoirfalls sui'liciently to permit the spring 48 to close the correspondingswitch 42, since all the magnets 41 are connected to the correspondingbattery through the said switch and the conductors 55 and 60. It followsalso that all of the switches 19 will remain closed until all of theswitches 42 have been opened.

Vhile I have illustrated a system in which batteries are employed forenergizing the controlling-magnets, it will be understood that energyfrom the power-circuit might be utilized for this purpose, if desired.

The reverse arrangement to that shown, in which the energizing of themagnets 41 will serve to admit air to the cylinders 2S, and thus breakthe motor-circuit, is obviously within myinvention, and I desire it tobe further understood that other changes in the details of the apparatusmay be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventionand that my invention is not limited to systems in which duid-pressureis employed for operating the motor-controlling devices, or, in fact, toany specific use of the fluid-pressure that is provided by the pumps andmotors that are governed by means of the invention.

IOO

IIO

I claim as my inventionl. In an electropneumatic system, the combinationwith a normally-closed switch and Iiuid-pressure-actuated means foropening the same, of an electromagnet for controlling the application ofthe fluid-pressure to said switch-openingmeans, a normally-closedgoverning-switch for said magnet and means for operating saidgoverning-switch in accordance with the degree of fluid-pressure in thesystem.

2. In an electropneumatic system, the combination with an electric motorand a pump driven thereby, of a switch for making and breaking thecircuit of said motor, fluid-pressure-actuated means for opening saidswitch, an electroniagnetically-controlled valve for eiecting theapplication and withdrawal of duid-pressure and a governing-switch theoperation of which is dependent upon the degree of fluid-pressure in thesystem.

3. In an electropneumatic system, the combination with an electricmotor, a pump driven thereby and a reservoir supplied by said pump, of aswitch for the circuit of said motor, an actuating device for saidswitch, a valve for eiecting the application of Huidpressure to and theWithdrawal of the same from said actuating device, an electromagnet foractuating said valve, a governing-switch for said magnet and actuatingmeans forsaid governing-switch having a permanently-open pipe connectionwith the reservoir.

4. In a controlling system for electricallypropelled trains, thecombination with a plurality of electric motors, a plurality ofaircompressors severally driven thereby and a plurality of connectedreservoirs respectively supplied by said compressors, of apneumatically-operated circuit making and breaking switch for eachmotor, controlling magnets and valves for the respective switches and aplurality of pneumatically-operated governing-switches for said magnetsso connected with each other and with said magnets that they may operateeither individually or collectively to make and break the circuits ofall the magnets of the system.

5. In a controlling system for electricallypropelled trains, thecombination with a plurality of electric motors, a plurality of pumpsseverally driven thereby and a plurality of connected reservoirsrespectively supplied by said pumps, of normally-closed switches for theseveral motors, governing apparatus for the several motor-switches andconnect ing means therefor whereby all of the motors are started andstopped in accordance with the minimum and maximum fluid-pressureexisting at any point in the system.

6. The combination with a pneumaticallyconnected series of air pumps andreservoirs, a series of motors for said pumps and a series ofelectrically and pneumatically connected governing devices 'for saidmotors each of which comprises a motor-circuit switch, a spring forclosing and a huid-pressure-actuated device for opening it, anelectromagnetically-actuated valve for controlling the application lofsaid fluid-pressure, a controlling-switch for the valve-operating magnetand operating means for said switch dependent upon the degree offluid-pressure of the system.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 23d day ofJune, 1900.

ERNEST R. HILL.

Witnesses:

L. C. GARUANA, WM. H. OAPEL.

